Snow Shimmers in Moonlight
by moriartyswife
Summary: Why did it have to be me that got injured? There were other girls on the team. Why didn't one of them? It's horrible to be thinking that, but it wouldn't get out of my head. My brother, Koshi Sugawara, had always taken care of me. He even supported my crush on his teammate, Nishinoya. But there's a salty blonde who continually torments me whenever we're together...


The campus is empty on the weekends. My middle school had seemed much livelier, but that's probably because I had a club that consumed most of my life back then. Roaming the school hallways, examining posters for clubs as I went, I sighed. My dad had been pushing me to join a new club, but my heart wasn't in any of them. Each new flyer with different clubs ranging from academic to culture clubs were interesting, but I couldn't commit.

Going to the gymnasium I knew well, I waited outside, sitting on the step. Pulling my phone out of the back pocket of my shorts, I opened an app for a stupid game that had gained popularity. It was simple, but entertaining.

"Watch out!" A voice snapped.

It didn't matter. I could hear the whir of the ball just fine. Tilting my head to the side, it whisked past my face, bouncing and rolling across the pavement.

"K-Kageyama! Did you see that!? She wasn't even looking!" The boy sounded like a middle schooler.

The same voice that had called for me to watch out was closer now, directly above me. "You're in the way." This boy's voice was harsh, and annoyance laid in his tone.

"Go around," I replied.

"Tsukishima! Don't mind her," my brothers voice sent a wave of guilt through me. "Yuki, it isn't safe to sit there, you could come inside." Koushi had the purest heart on the entire planet. I would literally fight anyone to keep him safe. Making him worry about me hurt my heart.

Standing to let lanky glasses boy pass, I stuffed my phone back in my pocket and turned to my brother. "I'm sorry," I said, stepping inside the gymnasium. There was a pain in me being in a room with volleyball.

Koushi pat my head and smiled. "It's okay, Yuki. I'm glad you aren't hurt." He led me over to the scoreboard where he and Ennoshita were keeping the score of three on three match. He told me about the first years who were causing a lot of problems, and how Daichi kicked them out until this match. That's just like Daichi.

The short, orange haired boy had a good jump… amazing jump, actually. For my height, I was still considered short for spiker at 5 foot, 6 inches, but he was shorter than me. It interested me about him. Lanky glasses boy, though, could shut him down without a second though. He's got to be over 6 foot. That doesn't mean he's invincible. The weight of being completely shut down weighed on the tiny boy. Before I knew it, I'd moved away from the scoreboard to where he stood.

"Hey, you know you're not actually paying attention to the block, right?" I couldn't handle not saying anything.

The boy whirled around, completely shocked. "Huh?"

I sighed, not really the coaching type, but lanky glasses boy had pissed me off. "You're not paying attention to the salty blond. I understand it's a weird concept, but if you watch where he is, you can adjust your swing. I mean, or you can move to where there is no block. You seem to be fast enough."

"S-salty blond?" He seemed confused but turned to look at the boys on the side with Daichi. "You mean Tsukishima?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so."

The dark haired first year setter had come up to us, with an annoyed expression. "Hinata. If you can't score, I'm not going to toss to you anymore." Harsh words. He kind of looks familiar to me. The boy stopped and stared at me. "Who are you?"

"Yuki," I answered offhandedly, still focused on Hinata.

Hinata tilted his head to the side. "Um, what do you mean by watch him? Shouldn't I be more focused on the ball and my jump?" He's like a baby bird. It was kind of adorable.

He was too focused on the ball from my perspective. "You do whatever you want. I'm just saying that it would make things easier for you if you watched the block." I shrugged my shoulders. Why am I even bothering to talk to this kid? Maybe because I'm desperate to talk about the sport without having sympathy being thrown in all the time.

"I don't understand how that would be helpful," Hinata said, gesturing to the court. "Kageyama can toss to you if you want to show me. I want to learn as much as I can!"

Kageyama looked less than thrilled to be volunteered for this job but picked up the ball off the floor. "Make it quick. We've got a game to win."

I hesitated. Koushi seemed occupied talking to Ennoshita. It should be fine. Just one little spike. Moving to the court, I pointed at the salty blonde. "Try and block me," I taunted.

The net on the boy's court is slightly higher than ours but I should be able to get a solid spike in. Kageyama had skill as well, setting the ball exactly where I went. Just before I jumped, I side stepped to direct the ball just past the block. A solid hit. The issue was that when I came down, my weak ankle sent shooting pain up my leg.

"Yuki!" It wasn't my brother's voice. Daichi had ducked under the net and did his best to keep me from hitting the ground so hard.

Hinata was bouncing up and down. "Kageyama! I want to do that! Toss to me like that!"

Ouch. It irritated me that my stupid ankle had to be like this. It was just one jump. Jerking my arm loose of Daichi's hold, I glared at him. "I'm fine." It's painful just putting pressure on it. The doctor had told me that sports were out of the question.

"You're injured," Tsukishima said, loud enough for everyone to hear. The boys all went quiet and were staring. "What kind of idiot tries something like that when they're injured?"

"What kind of dumbass doesn't mind his own business?" I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him. I dislike this boy greatly.

Koushi pulled me outside, apologizing to Tsukishima at the same time. Away from prying ears, he crouched down to look at my ankle, ignoring my statement that I was fine. "Yuki, you can't do reckless things like that." The little bit of pressure he applied made me wince in pain. "The doctor said if you weren't careful that you could permanently damage your ankle, and then you won't be able to walk on it at all."

He's only trying to help. He's only worried about me.

But I couldn't stop the words from tumbling out of my mouth. "I don't care, Koushi! I can't do anything I want to the way I am now. So, what does it matter?! It's never going to be any better than it is now. Just leave me alone!"

"Yuki…" Koushi stood and enveloped me in a hug. "It's okay to be angry about it."

He is the best human being to ever walk the earth.

I gripped onto the edges of his jacket and pressed my face against his chest to shield the tears that slid down my face. "It's not fair!" Why did it have to be me that got injured? There were other girls on the team. Why didn't one of them? It's horrible to be thinking that, but it wouldn't get out of my head. "It's just not fair!"

"You're right, it isn't fair," he said softly, petting my head and keeping me close. "You shouldn't keep all these emotions bottled up inside, Yuki." That isn't the first time he's said that to me. When we were kids, he'd always try to encourage me to be more open.

Pulling myself together, I straightened up and wiped my eyes. "Yeah, I know." My attention was caught by another boy. In the doorway to the gymnasium, one of the second-year boys hovered, clearly trying not to interrupt. "I think they need you back."

Koushi's head turned to see what I meant. "I'll be right there!" He called. Returning his attention to me, he reached out and wiped the stray tear off my cheek. "Wait for me, okay? I'll walk home with you."

With a nod, I pointed toward the front of the school. "I'm going to run down to that shop down the street… grab a snack."

Wandering down to the shop, I waved to the owner's son, Keishin. I'd spent many days during my middle school year down here waiting for my brother. He's usually pretty grumpy and always smoking a cigarette. Setting down my favorite bag of chips and the best drink that was sold here, I sighed. "You're going to die from those, old man," I said with a smile, putting the exact change on the table.

"I am not old, you little brat!" Keishin snapped but did smile back. "You haven't been around in a while."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Maybe I just got tired of inhaling dangerous fumes," I replied with a big grin. I ripped open the bag of chips before he could even finish ringing me up.

The chime of the door opening caught our attention. "Yuki! Long time no see!" Nishinoya had a big smile and came right up to me. My brother had told me what happened to him and that he was on a month-long suspension from club activities. He still wore his hair the same way, and had that wild vibe about him, which is probably why I liked him so much. "Let's catch up! You're waiting for Suga aren't you?"

Going onto autopilot, I nodded my head. This store had a few little tables and chairs to sit at. I waited impatiently at one while he went to buy his own food. From my seat, I watched him. I'd only known him for a year, since he joined the volleyball club. He's always nice to me and we have a lot in common. I guess that's why I fell for him. As nervous as I always felt when he was around, I wouldn't run away from this quality time. Actually, I felt rather… excited, for the first time since I'd injured myself. That's just the effect Nishinoya has on me.


End file.
